SKIN HYDRATION SERIES - Week 2 - Okay, so we may be on to something..
05-07-2018

You guys! You should be proud of me. I am doing so much better at this water drinking challenge. I feel like my failures last week really motivated me to get my 'ish' together this week. I drank about 6-8 glasses a day, on average.

Tracking My Progress

Day 8 - I started off a little rocky with only drinking 4 glasses of water

Day 9 - 8 GLASSES!

Day 10 - 6 glasses

Day 11 - 6 glasses

Day 12 - 4 glasses - oops!

Day 13 - 7 glasses

Day 14 - 7 glasses

Thoughts/struggles

Easier to drink

First off, I found it way easier this week than the first week. I'm guessing my body is actually becoming used to drinking more water and therefore it feels less difficult.

Thirstier

I feel my body was actually thirstier this week. One of the reason I hardly drink water is because I don't find myself getting thirsty. I don't really drink with my meals. When I lived at home with my family we would split 1 can of soft drink between 4 people for dinner. That's 4 grown adults by the way. I usually only want a sip or two to wash down my meal. However, since increasing my water consumption I'm finding myself becoming thirsty throughout the day and wanting to drink water with my meals. I'm not getting thirsty excessively, so don't freak out!

Body reacts when not enough water

On Day 12 you'll notice I only drank 4 glasses of water. My whole day was thrown off by a sick husband that couldn't go to work and needing caring for so my planning and tracking were all thrown out the window. It was about 12:30pm when I noticed my body felt really lethargic and I felt a headache coming on. I was worried that I was starting to get sick too! Then I realised, I hadn't had a glass of water yet! I had been focused on feeding and caring for hubby that I forgot to drink. However, this was a good thing! My body was craving water. It was changing and now noticed it much more when it was dehydrated.

The 8 glass point

This may just be a coincidence but I really think once I hit the 8 glass mark on Day 9, it all became easier. It was as if my body finally reached proper hydration levels and then was striving to be there every day. Or maybe it was all in my mind and the feeling of achievement that I finally reached 8 glasses was motivating to continue and encouraging me 'see, it's not that hard!'

The Results

I found my skin is slowly changing throughout this challenge. The skin on nose still a bit dry but better than previously. My skin is clearer and brighter. The dehydrated, dry skin around my mouth area is gone. The area under my eyes are lighter in colour. My skin is much less tight which means it is being properly hydrated and has reduced Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL).

Tips & Tricks

Topical hydration

Hydrating your skin topically is also a great way to keep your skin hydrated and plump. Using a hydrating toner with ingredients such as rose water, aloe vera juice, hyaluronic acid or glycerine are great for keeping your skin hydrated. Ingredients such as these are called humectants, and they draw water to the skins surface. I recommend a hydrating toner as well as a hydrating serum or face cream.

Moisturising

Using a lipid based moisturiser, such as a face oil, is great to lock in all that moisture and reduce trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) - the natural process of moisture loss through the skin's surface to the atmosphere.

Product order

It's important to use your products in the right order. You will want to apply your hydrating products first, and then apply your lipid/oil products second to lock in the moisture from the hydrating products.

Apps

There are plenty of water drinking apps that send reminders to drink water through out the day. There is one I found however that is useful AND super cute! And you know how I feel about cute things. I introduce you to, Plant Nanny. An app where you plant a cute little cartoon plant and water it to watch it grow. Every time you take a drink of water, you water the plant. When you haven't drunken in a while, your plant looks all shrivelled and sad! So cute.